Wednesday, February 11, 2026

​**Proposed Manufacturing Facility Could Bring 150 High-Wage Jobs and $110 Million in Annual Sales to Topeka**



Topeka, KS – February 11, 2026 — A potential new manufacturing operation in Topeka is generating early buzz in local economic development circles, with a proposal for a 125,000-square-foot facility featuring 35-foot ceilings, preferably located near rail access.

The project, represented by Henry McClure of MCRE, LLC, and the Henry McClure Collective, targets the creation of 150 new jobs with starting wages of $42 per hour — well above the regional average for manufacturing roles. The facility would focus on panel production and a cabinet shop, projecting $100 million in annual sales from the panel side and an additional $10 million from the cabinet operations, for a combined $110 million in yearly revenue.

The proposal was outlined in a recent letter to Leigha Boling, the City of Topeka's Director of Economic Development. Boling, who assumed the role earlier this year after serving as Procurement Director, oversees initiatives to attract and support business growth in the capital city.

If realized, the project aligns with Topeka's ongoing push to bolster its manufacturing sector. Recent expansions — such as HF Rubber's addition of 19 jobs with a projected $71 million regional impact, PTMW Inc.'s creation of nearly 200 positions and $1.3 billion over 10 years, and other investments in facilities like Haas Metal Engineering — highlight the area's appeal for industrial projects. Statewide, Kansas continues to emphasize advanced manufacturing through incentives like the Promoting Employment Across Kansas (PEAK) program, which allows qualifying businesses to retain significant portions of payroll withholding taxes for new jobs.

Estimated Economic Boost for Topeka  
Preliminary analysis suggests strong potential returns:

- Direct Payroll: Approximately $13.1 million annually (based on 150 jobs at $42/hour full-time equivalent).  
- Total Economic Output: Using conservative multipliers common in Kansas manufacturing studies (2.5–3.7x), the $110 million in sales could generate $275–$410 million in broader regional activity each year through supply chains, vendor spending, and employee respending.  
- Job Multiplier Effect: Direct jobs often support 1–5 additional indirect/induced positions in retail, services, and logistics — potentially pushing total employment impact to 450–900 jobs.  
- Tax Revenues: A facility valued around $18–20 million (at typical industrial construction costs) could contribute roughly $600,000–$700,000 annually in property taxes under current Shawnee County and Topeka mill levies (city portion ~37–38 mills). Additional sales tax from increased local spending could add $500,000+ yearly, with the city's share in the low six figures.

Topeka and Shawnee County's Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) frequently approves performance-based incentives for projects that meet job creation and investment thresholds. While no incentives have been requested or discussed publicly for this proposal yet, similar deals have offered support for workforce training, property improvements, and job creation milestones.

The preference for rail-adjacent sites underscores the importance of logistics in modern manufacturing, potentially tying into Topeka's existing rail infrastructure advantages.

Details remain preliminary, and the project would require site selection, permitting, and possible incentives through GO Topeka and JEDO. If it moves forward, it could represent one of the larger job-creating manufacturing announcements in the region in recent years, adding high-paying roles and substantial economic ripple effects to the community.

For more information on economic development opportunities in Topeka, visit the City of Topeka or GO Topeka websites. Updates on this proposal will be monitored as discussions progress.

--
Henry McClure 
Time kills deals
785-383-9994

www.henrymcclure.live
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New Blood

### Financial Impact Assessment for Topeka

Based on the details in your proposal letter (a 125,000 sq ft manufacturing facility creating 150 jobs at $42/hour starting wages, with $110 million in combined annual sales from panel and cabinet operations), I'll outline the estimated financial impact on Topeka. This includes direct effects (e.g., wages and property taxes), indirect/induced effects (e.g., supply chain spending and employee consumption), and broader economic contributions. Estimates use conservative multipliers derived from Kansas-specific data on manufacturing (e.g., output multipliers of 2.5–3.74, employment multipliers implying 3–6 total jobs per direct job, and income multipliers around 1.5–2). Assumptions include annual figures, a building construction cost of ~$150/sq ft (leading to a $18.75 million valuation), and no major city incentives offsetting revenues unless specified.

#### 1. **Direct Economic Contributions**
   - **Job Creation and Payroll**: 150 jobs at $42/hour equate to ~$87,360 annual salary per employee (assuming 40 hours/week, 52 weeks). Total annual payroll: **$13.1 million**.
     - This injects money directly into the local economy via worker spending on housing, goods, and services.
   - **Output/Sales**: $110 million in annual sales (assuming ongoing operations). This represents direct revenue generation, much of which could support local suppliers if the facility sources materials in Kansas.
   - **Property Taxes**: With a building valuation of ~$18.75 million, annual property taxes are estimated at **$662,000** (based on Topeka's total mill levy of ~141.35 mills, a 25% commercial assessment ratio, and an effective rate of ~3.53% on market value).
     - City's share (~26% of total, based on city's 36.956 mill levy portion): **$172,000 annually**.
     - Other shares: County (~35%, $231,000), schools (~33%, $218,000), and minor portions to state/library.

#### 2. **Indirect and Induced Economic Effects**
   Using Kansas manufacturing multipliers (e.g., every $1 in manufacturing output adds $1.50–$2.74 to the economy; each direct job supports 2–6 additional jobs via supply chains and spending):
   - **Total Employment Impact**: Direct 150 jobs could support **300–750 additional jobs** (total: 450–900), including suppliers, retailers, and services. Conservative estimate: **450 total jobs**.
   - **Total Economic Output Impact**: Applying a 2.5–3.74 output multiplier to $110 million in sales yields **$275–$411 million** in annual economic activity. This includes ripple effects like local vendor contracts and employee respending.
   - **Income Impact**: Payroll of $13.1 million, with a 1.5–2 income multiplier, generates **$19.7–$26.2 million** in total household income (including induced effects).

#### 3. **Tax Revenue Impacts to Topeka**
   - **Sales Tax Revenue**: Increased local spending from wages and operations.
     - Assume ~30% of total income ($19.7–$26.2 million) is spent on taxable goods locally (~$5.9–$7.9 million in taxable sales).
     - At Topeka's 9.35% combined sales tax rate: **$551,000–$738,000** total annual sales tax.
     - City's share (1.5% portion): **$89,000–$118,000 annually**.
   - **Other Taxes**:
     - State income taxes from wages (~4.5% average effective rate on $13.1 million payroll): **$590,000**, but this benefits the state, not directly the city (though state aid could indirectly flow back).
     - Potential utility franchise fees or other minor revenues: ~$50,000–$100,000 if the facility uses city services.
   - **Net Annual Tax Revenue to City**: **$261,000–$390,000** (primarily from property and sales taxes). This could grow if operations expand or if railhead access boosts logistics-related activity.

#### 4. **Broader Fiscal and Community Impacts**
   - **Positive Multipliers**: The facility could stimulate ~$275–$411 million in annual economic output, boosting GDP contributions (manufacturing is 14.5% of Kansas GDP). This aligns with recent Kansas examples, like a rubber company expansion generating $71 million in regional impact.
   - **Costs to City**: Potential upfront incentives (e.g., land, infrastructure, or tax abatements) could reduce net gains initially. If the city invests ~$2–5 million in site prep (similar to other KS projects), ROI could exceed 10x over 20 years via taxes and growth.
   - **Long-Term Benefits**: Over 10 years, cumulative impact could reach **$2.75–$4.1 billion** in economic output, with **$2.6–$3.9 million** in city revenues. This supports schools, infrastructure, and reduces unemployment (current KS manufacturing growth: 2.4%).
   - **Risks**: If sales are mostly out-of-state, local tax capture drops. Inflation or supply chain issues could raise building costs (current range: $100–$238/sq ft for industrial).

This is a high-level estimate; a full IMPLAN analysis (used in KS economic studies) would refine it based on specifics like industry type (e.g., wood products). If you provide more details (e.g., exact building costs or incentives), I can refine further.

--
Henry McClure 
Time kills deals
785-383-9994

www.henrymcclure.live
on No comments:

Money or not

Natural hydrogen wells (or "white" hydrogen) involve drilling to extract naturally occurring hydrogen gas trapped in underground geological formations, often produced by water-rock reactions (serpentinization). While potentially a massive, renewable energy source, current exploration faces high risks of dry wells, technical challenges with material corrosion (hydrogen embrittlement), and lack of commercial-scale extraction, with most findings still in experimental or early development stages. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]  
Key Aspects of Natural Hydrogen Wells 

• The Process: Natural hydrogen is produced through geothermal processes—principally the interaction of water with iron-rich minerals—generating hydrogen that rises and accumulates in reservoirs. 
• Current State & Locations: As of early 2025, commercial-scale extraction is non-existent, though active exploration is occurring in the US, France, and Albania. The world's only known actively produced,, localized natural hydrogen well is in Bourakébougou, Mali, providing power to a local village. 
• Exploration and Economics: While estimates suggest 5.6 trillion metric tons of hydrogen exist underground, accessing it is expensive and risky. Many wells may produce only trace amounts. 
• Technical Challenges: Hydrogen embrittlement, where hydrogen causes steel casing and cement to become brittle, poses a high risk of leakage and failure. 
• Potential Advantages: 

 • Renewable Source: Unlike oil, natural hydrogen forms on a human-relevant timescale, not just geological epochs. 
 • Low Carbon: It provides a zero-carbon emission fuel source. 
 • Geothermal Co-benefits: Wells can potentially tap into both hydrogen and geothermal energy simultaneously. [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8]  

Hydrogen in Depleted Oil WellsSome companies are exploring "gold" hydrogen, which involves treating abandoned, depleted oil wells with microbes to turn residual hydrocarbons into hydrogen, with successful initial tests suggesting a potential $1/kg production cost. [9]  
Storage and InfrastructureWhile 90% of current gas storage is in porous media, hydrogen is currently stored only at a small scale, with salt caverns being the primary storage method being developed in Texas and Utah. [10]  

AI responses may include mistakes.




Henry McClure  
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CID

**Wanamaker Hills CID** refers to the **Wanamaker Hills Community Improvement District** (CID) in **Topeka, Kansas** (Shawnee County).

This is a special taxing district established to support redevelopment and improvements at the **Wanamaker Hills Shopping Center**, located along SW Wanamaker Road (around 1700-1900 SW Wanamaker Rd, near 17th Street).

Key details:
- The CID was created around 2019 to help fund renovations of the former K-Mart anchored shopping center.
- It imposes an additional 1% (one penny) sales tax on purchases made within the district, which helps finance infrastructure, redevelopment, and related projects.
- As of recent updates (e.g., effective April 2023), the combined sales tax rate in the Topeka Wanamaker Hills CID area is **10.35%**.
- The redevelopment transformed the site into a modern retail center with national chains like Ulta, Old Navy, DSW, Five Below, Petco, Burlington, and more recent additions such as Rally House, Kansas Sampler, Skechers, and others planned or opening.

The official project map for the CID boundaries is available from the City of Topeka: [Wanamaker Hills CID Project Map](https://cot-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/finance/WanamakerHillCIDprojectmap.pdf).

It's a retail-focused area with strong visibility on a major corridor in Topeka. No direct connection appears to exist in Colorado (e.g., Denver area) based on available information—searches for Colorado links point to unrelated historical references or no matches for a similar CID or development. If this relates to something specific in Denver or you're referring to a different "Wanamaker Hills," feel free to provide more context!

Henry McClure  
785.383.9994
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